For almost two decades managing in minor league baseball, Billy Gardner Jr. drew the greatest satisfaction watching his players advance in the sport.

Sure, he moved up a bit too, but neither very far or very quickly. That wasn't the point. He stayed pretty much anchored in order to help prospects climb up, especially from the Double-A to Triple-A level.

"I don't look too far ahead,'' Gardner said. "I enjoy the minor leagues. I enjoy player development. There's a lot of teaching that goes on there. Our payback is when one of our players gets to the Major Leagues. The Double-A level is a good level to work at. It's that fork in the road where you either move up or fall by the wayside.''

Now, Gardner, entering his 20th season as a minor league manager, has come to just such a fork himself. And he's veered in the direction that will take him to the Syracuse Chiefs.

Gardner, 47 has been hired as the new manager of the Chiefs. He replaces Tony Beasley, who was promoted to roving minor-league coordinator for parent club Washington.

Gardner is the fifth Chiefs manager in the six-year Syracuse-Washington affiliation, but the first to take over in Syracuse from outside the Nationals organization.

"They (the Nationals) are going in the right direction, Smart people like to be a part of that,'' Gardner said.

He spent the past seven seasons managing Tampa Bay's Double-A entry in the Southern League, Montgomery. Before that he managed in the Boston, Kansas City and Cincinnati systems.

"He's a detailed teacher. He's a very poised individual,'' said Doug Harris, assistant general manager of Washington. "Tampa's development system has been done a tremendous job. He's been a big part of that.''

Gardner is also the son of former major league player Billy Gardner Sr. The elder Gardner played 10 seasons and 1,034 games in the Major Leagues with the New York Giants, Baltimore, Washington, Minnesota, the Yankees and Boston. He also managed Minnesota and Kansas City.

"Being around the game was a big deal for me,'' Gardner Jr. said. "He was very good with advice, helping along the way. If he saw something I could do better, he'd help me. He always preached patience, effort, attention to detail.''

Gardner Jr..was selected by the Royals as a first baseman in the 50th round of the 1987 draft out of the University of Hartford and played two years in the minors before beginning his coaching career.

He led Montgomery to the Southern League title in 2007, his first year, and was also named by Baseball America as the Best Manager Prospect in the Southern League in the 2010 Best Tools survey.

He was selected the 2012 Southern League Manager of the Year, 39 years after his father won the same award while managing the Jacksonville Suns in 1973. Overall, Gardner Jr. was 497-475 in charge of the Biscuits.

"I think there's a lot of people in baseball, a lot of managers, who are good at the strategic part. It's really a people job,'' Gardner said. "It's important to connect with people. That's one of my strong points. You have to have open lines of communication. They have to know you care. I've always been someone who is very outgoing.''

Gardner's new job will have a family feel to it. Pitching coach Paul Menhart, whom Washington promoted from Double A Harrisburg, is a former American Legion teammate and childhood friend from Connecticut. And his sister lives in Skaneateles, married to a Welch Allyn employee.

"There's some connections that make this a real attractive situation,'' Gardner said.

Harris completed the Chiefs' 2014 staff by announcing that Joe Dillon will be the team's new hitting coach. Dillon played four seasons in the Majors with Florida, Milwaukee and Tampa Bay. He is making his pro coaching debut.